Bicycles and other human powered devices and machines are typically efficient overall at converting effort into movement. However, with each stroke of the pedal, the down force applied by the rider's foot causes at least a portion of their weight to lift away from the machine or bicycle. Thus, this effort in moving the rider's weight causes an inefficiency in driving the machine or bicycle forward.
What is desired is a way to releasably secure the rider, at a fixed length, to the structure of the machine or bicycle, so that each time the rider presses a pedal down with their foot, little or none of that effort is translated to lifting the rider's weight away from the structure of the machine or bicycle.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices and methods that address the above needs.